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Blue Fish


Al_Dente

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I'm heading down to the outer banks of North Carolina after the much anticipated pig pickin in Raleigh. I plan to sit on the beach all day and fish. Given the time of the year, the blues ought to be running. Any good recipes? I love me a nice piece of fish, but the blues are really oily and fishy. I've had a couple of dishes that managed to overcome this and be quite tasty.

What can I make in case of a bountiful catch?

peak performance is predicated on proper pan preparation...

-- A.B.

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Al Dente: Blues in order to taste good, must be quickly Cleaned and Bleed, then promptly chilled. Doing that will not give enough time for the acids and enzymes in the stomach of such a voracious feeder to break down.

When they are running they tend to school up, and hit fast and furious. But if your not catching and releasing. Then take time out, or assign someone the taske of dressing your catch quickly.

If you've done this your fish can be prepared in your favorite manner, and they will taste pretty good. Irwin

I don't say that I do. But don't let it get around that I don't.

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They are good for smoking.

Unfortunately, I think the house just has your standard issue gas grill. But, I'd certainly give that a whirl sometime.

peak performance is predicated on proper pan preparation...

-- A.B.

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Al Dente: Blues in order to taste good, must be quickly Cleaned and Bleed, then promptly chilled. Doing that will not give enough time for the acids and enzymes in the stomach of such a voracious feeder to break down.

When they are running they tend to school up, and hit fast and furious. But if your not catching and releasing. Then take time out, or assign someone the taske of dressing your catch quickly.

If you've done this your fish can be prepared in your favorite manner, and they will taste pretty good. Irwin

Good point. I'll let my buddy man the rods, and I'll try to make quick work with the knife. But what do you mean by "bleed"? Do you mean that I should just run my thumb down the middle of the backbone after I gut them, or is there some special method? Hopefully it won't be ME that's bleeding after I try to clean them quickly. :shock:

peak performance is predicated on proper pan preparation...

-- A.B.

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Al Dente: Blues in order to taste good, must be quickly Cleaned and Bleed, then promptly chilled. Doing that will not give enough time for the acids and enzymes in the stomach of such a voracious feeder to break down.

When they are running they tend to school up, and hit fast and furious. But if your not catching and releasing. Then take time out, or assign someone the taske of dressing your catch quickly.

If you've done this your fish can be prepared in your favorite manner, and they will taste pretty good. Irwin

Good point. I'll let my buddy man the rods, and I'll try to make quick work with the knife. But what do you mean by "bleed"? Do you mean that I should just run my thumb down the middle of the backbone after I gut them, or is there some special method? Hopefully it won't be ME that's bleeding after I try to clean them quickly. :shock:

Al Dente: The Bleeding of Fish the size of Bluefish, is done after you've gutted and gilled the fish. Then you wash it, also running with your finger or point of knife to remove the blood line on the inside of the fish.

On larger Fish such as Halibut, or Salmon you also try to Flush the water thru the carcass via the bone frame, after removing head. The best retail example are the premium, cleaned, gutted and bleed fish sold under the, "Bruce Gore", Brand on the west coast. Irwin

I don't say that I do. But don't let it get around that I don't.

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Al Dente: Blues in order to taste good, must be quickly Cleaned and Bleed, then promptly chilled. Doing that will not give enough time for the acids and enzymes in the stomach of such a voracious feeder to break down.

When they are running they tend to school up, and hit fast and furious. But if your not catching and releasing. Then take time out, or assign someone the taske of dressing your catch quickly.

If you've done this your fish can be prepared in your favorite manner, and they will taste pretty good. Irwin

Good point. I'll let my buddy man the rods, and I'll try to make quick work with the knife. But what do you mean by "bleed"? Do you mean that I should just run my thumb down the middle of the backbone after I gut them, or is there some special method? Hopefully it won't be ME that's bleeding after I try to clean them quickly. :shock:

Al Dente: The Bleeding of Fish the size of Bluefish, is done after you've gutted and gilled the fish. Then you wash it, also running with your finger or point of knife to remove the blood line on the inside of the fish.

On larger Fish such as Halibut, or Salmon you also try to Flush the water thru the carcass via the bone frame, after removing head. The best retail example are the premium, cleaned, gutted and bleed fish sold under the, "Bruce Gore", Brand on the west coast. Irwin

Gotcha. Will do. So fast they'll still be squirming.

peak performance is predicated on proper pan preparation...

-- A.B.

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Because blues have such strong flavor, they are great for making escabeche (cook, then pickle with onions and hot peppers) or for provencal- or basque-style preparations (tomatoes, garlic, onions, sweet peppers).

As you can tell from my (former avatar) signature, I LOVE blue fish. :biggrin: They sure do taste good! Although they really are gross to clean -- I once found a partially-digested fish in one. :shock:

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Because blues have such strong flavor, they are great for making escabeche (cook, then pickle with onions and hot peppers) or for provencal- or basque-style preparations (tomatoes, garlic, onions, sweet peppers).

As you can tell from my (former avatar) signature, I LOVE blue fish.  :biggrin:  They sure do taste good!  Although they really are gross to clean -- I once found a partially-digested fish in one.  :shock:

Suzzane: Wow ! You were very lucky. Didn't you realize that that partially digested tid bit, was a excellent starter for making your own special fermented fish sace. I'm sure it would have been equal the Pastis, or any Asian Fish Sauce. even the Vietnamesse delicacy.

I don't say that I do. But don't let it get around that I don't.

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John Hersey's book "Blues," published by Knopf in '87 is a great book about the fish and hunting it. Lots of recipes are included.

On Long Island we affectionately called them "Choppers."

Most likely because a freshly caught one could chop off the tip of one of your fingers if you weren't careful.

PJ

Edited by pjs (log)

"Epater les bourgeois."

--Lester Bangs via Bruce Sterling

(Dori Bangs)

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I went deep sea fishing in San Diego and got a bunch of barracuda that was pretty fishy and oily....we made a great Tunisian fish stew with it... if you want the recipe let me know...

SHHHHHH ! Only mention how delicious 'Barracuda", tastes. Called "KAKU', in Hawaii on eGullet. It's a underutilized species as most people think it's very boney, some think it's not ediable. Those in the know realize it one of the best tasting fishes. Even more special, often Cuddas, are greenish, blueish , even irredesent fleshed. But no matter the color always cook to whitemeat and taste great. It's one fish that may be prepared in any manner. Irwin

I don't say that I do. But don't let it get around that I don't.

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Although they really are gross to clean -- I once found a partially-digested fish in one.  :shock:

Sounds like the makings for a sort of fish version of turducken!

Thanks for the ideas.

Bicycle Lee-- Tunisian Fish Stew sounds intriguing. Sure, I'd love the recipe.

peak performance is predicated on proper pan preparation...

-- A.B.

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There's a nice Marcella Hazan recipe that calls for bluefish fillets. I forget the proportions but they're really not very important. I'll give you a "fair use" summary of the essence of the recipe.

You take a couple pounds of potatoes, and cut them into very thin slices; I do it with a knife, but you could mandoline them if you want. I like the rustic variations in the widths of the slices when I use a knife.

Then you scatter them in a roasting pan in a single layer, put some olive oil in the pan, and get the potatoes coated. Then scatter a bunch of chopped garlic, salt and pepper on top. Roast in a hot oven-- 450 or 475 degrees for 12 to 15 minutes; they should be half-done, starting to brown. Then stick a couple pounds of bluefish fillets (with the skin on, skin side down) atop the potatoes, scatter more garlic, olive oil, salt & pepper, and maybe some chopped parsley on top, and roast for another 12 to 15 minutes.

That's it. So simple, and very tasty. The potatoes come out crisp, oily, and garlicky. And the fish should be just cooked. Yum.

"I don't mean to brag, I don't mean to boast;

but we like hot butter on our breakfast toast!"

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Al Dente: The Bleeding of Fish the size of Bluefish, is done after you've gutted and gilled the fish. Then you wash it, also running with your finger or point of knife to remove the blood line on the inside of the fish.

Question: I have always interperted (and done) the bleeding of fish -especially delicate fish such as salmon and albacore - to be the cutting of the gills, or across the tail,to allow the fish to bleed immediately after being caught. We do this for a number of reasons (hot weather, not returning home for a long time, etc.) but mainly because the fish simply taste better when eaten. Of course the blood line needs tot be removed later if you are not filleting the fish.

Am I wrong in this interpertation?

Dave

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I've cooked a few blue fish and so far Cindy Prior has the best way I've found. Fillet them and then put on more salt, pepper, and freshly squeezed lemon juice than you'd think reasonable. Then broil them.

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What we call bluefish in the Gulf of Mexico is Pomatomus saltatrix. I have always wondered if what is called bluefish on the east coast is the same thing. You run into big schools of them around the oil platforms. They go into feeding frenzies and even go cannabalistic. You look at that boiling, bloody water and vow that you will never fall in! :laugh: We never eat these things as they are very dark fleshed. We will sometimes stop and catch some for the fun of it, then keep a few for cut bait. I can't imagine eating them. What is the deal?

Linda LaRose aka "fifi"

"Having spent most of my life searching for truth in the excitement of science, I am now in search of the perfectly seared foie gras without any sweet glop." Linda LaRose

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I can't imagine eating them. What is the deal?

think that we're all talking about the same crap eating cannibal. caught blues in the surf in sep/oct timeframe and generally just used them for cutbait. my brother would smoke them, but wouldn't use them for anything else. taste sorta like mullet only stronger. given their aggressive nature, couldn't we skip cooking them and just use them for homeland security instead??

"Ham isn't heroin..." Morgan Spurlock from "Supersize Me"

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couldn't we skip cooking them and just use them for homeland security instead??

:laugh::laugh::laugh:

They are certainly a deterant for anyone swimming ashore!

Linda LaRose aka "fifi"

"Having spent most of my life searching for truth in the excitement of science, I am now in search of the perfectly seared foie gras without any sweet glop." Linda LaRose

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  • 9 months later...
What we call bluefish in the Gulf of Mexico is Pomatomus saltatrix. I have always wondered if what is called bluefish on the east coast is the same thing. You run into big schools of them around the oil platforms. They go into feeding frenzies and even go cannabalistic. You look at that boiling, bloody water and vow that you will never fall in! :laugh: We never eat these things as they are very dark fleshed. We will sometimes stop and catch some for the fun of it, then keep a few for cut bait. I can't imagine eating them. What is the deal?

Yeah, warm water bluefish don't taste nearly as good as those up north. I used to get all excited when we'd go down to Florida in the winter and see bluefish in the fish store. But they just don't taste good, so I get my bluefish fix only when we go to Cape Cod.

More on topic...like most fish, my favorite way is to grill it. As was said, it seems to taste best with a ton of lemon and a little salt and pepper. I also like it fried--the Eastham Lobster Pool does some excellent bluefish fish and chips. Just don't forget to drown it in malt vinegar! :laugh:

Oops--didn't mean to resurrect a dead thread. But hey, it is Cape Cod (and hence bluefish) season!

Edited by emannths (log)
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Hi emannths...

Resurrecting an old thread is always a good idea. :biggrin:

Funny it should come up. An acquaintance got invited on a fishing trip and they got into the blues. He insisted on taking a good sized one home so the boat owner cleaned it and bled it before putting it on ice. He grilled it and said it was just short of inedible. I think there is something to the warm water versus cold water thing. After all the Gulf gets into the 80s this time of year.

Linda LaRose aka "fifi"

"Having spent most of my life searching for truth in the excitement of science, I am now in search of the perfectly seared foie gras without any sweet glop." Linda LaRose

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We used to catch lots of blues, and have one among our recipes that is our favorite... Deviled Bluefish with Corn and Tomato Salsa. I am trying to find the recipe. Since this is a resurrected post, if anybody wants to see it, please let me know and I will post it if/when I find it.

Life is short; eat the cheese course first.

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I'm heading down to the outer banks of North Carolina after the much anticipated pig pickin in Raleigh. I plan to sit on the beach all day and fish. Given the time of the year, the blues ought to be running. Any good recipes? I love me a nice piece of fish, but the blues are really oily and fishy. I've had a couple of dishes that managed to overcome this and be quite tasty.

What can I make in case of a bountiful catch?

I have yet to try it, but a friend who's an outdoor writer recommends slathering them with mayonaise, believe it or not, then grilling them. He says the mayo somehow cuts the oilness. I'm baffled as to how this could work, but maybe somebody with Alton Brown type knowledge could explain. My friend also says avoid hitting them over the head to kill them because this releases more oil, which could be an old wive's tale. He actually fished with a charter guy who dispatched bluefish by pouring cheap vodka through their gills.

"Last week Uncle Vinnie came over from Sicily and we took him to the Olive Garden. The next day the family car exploded."

--Nick DePaolo

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